Edinburgh hallmark date letter “Y”: which year?

The letter Y on a Edinburgh hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1830–1831 (lowercase roman); 1855–1856 (uppercase gothic); 1880–1881 (uppercase sans-serif); 1904–1905 (lowercase gothic); 1929–1930 (uppercase roman); 1954–1955 (uppercase cursive); 1998 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2023 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Before 1975 the letter changes in September, so most letters span two calendar years. Compare the case and typeface with the table; the letter alone does not settle it.

Candidates for Y at Edinburgh

Years	Letter style	Cycle
1830–1831	lowercase roman	Edinburgh cycle
1855–1856	uppercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle
1880–1881	uppercase sans-serif	Edinburgh cycle
1904–1905	lowercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle
1929–1930	uppercase roman	Edinburgh cycle
1954–1955	uppercase cursive	Edinburgh cycle
1998	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2023	lowercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975

Narrowing it down

Other marks and features on the piece can rule candidates out: see dating jewelry by construction features and the other UK hallmarks.

The letter Y at other offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Chester, Glasgow.

All Edinburgh cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter Y on a Edinburgh hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1830–1831 (lowercase roman); 1855–1856 (uppercase gothic); 1880–1881 (uppercase sans-serif); 1904–1905 (lowercase gothic); 1929–1930 (uppercase roman); 1954–1955 (uppercase cursive); 1998 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2023 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

All sources are listed with the method on the sources page.